Where does “kämmenselkä” come from?
kämmenselkä (Finnish) comes from Finnish kämmen, from Dutch kammen, from Dutch kam, from Middle Dutch kamp.
kämmenselkä (Finnish): back of the hand
Ancestry of “kämmenselkä”, step by step
kämmenselkä traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish kämmen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | kämmen | palm |
| 2 | Dutch | kammen | to comb; to use any other comb, even mechanically |
| 3 | Dutch | kam | A comb, utensil to groom hair, fur etc; A ridge,... |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | kamp | — |
via Finnish selkä
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Finnish | selkä | back; ridge, spine; watershed area |
| 2 | Proto-Finnic | selkä | back; ridge |
| 3 | Proto-Finno-Permic | śelkä | — |